Penguins Pillow Talk
by pronker
Summary: It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in Manhattan that our scene lies), rattling along the habitats, and fiercely agitating the scanty wattage of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.


Title: Pillow Talk

Author: pronker

Era: Sometime during the TV show's run.

Summary: It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in Manhattan that our scene lies), rattling along the habitats, and fiercely agitating the scanty wattage of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

IOIOIOIOIO

Skipper rolled away, sated at last.

"Good, eh?" Marlene purred.

"Uh huh. You're the best at what you do, Ms. Otter."

From Marlene's other side, Kowalski stretched and yawned. "Twenty-nine point seven minutes to dawn, sir."

"Skippa, Rico nodded off a half hour ago followin' the first climax." Private's voice sounded scratchy. "And I'm next."

"Men, do you think we all ought to do this delightful thing again sometime or is once in a lifetime enough?" Skipper's question hung in the humid air of Marlene's cave. As lieutenant, Kowalski felt his place was to present options even in non-battle mode.

"Sir, each of us reveled the night away. It stands to reason that we _might_ and _could _do it again, but I'm sensing that you question whether we _should."_

_"Estas _correctamundo, _mi segundo_." It had been a thunderous, wet night outdoors and now that the long and loud action of the entertainment had ceased indoors, Rico's snoring rivaled the heavens' contribution.

The heat was on and Kowalski prodded his weary brain. "Marlene, I need your input to form an option. You bore the brunt of our, um, presence." Even though Marlene made little twingey faces as she rubbed out kinks in her back and swished her tail, he could see that Marlene's warm nature gloried in penguin attention this steamy night. The odds stood at 33.8 percent certain that she would want this activity again and 66.2 percent that she would leave the decision to them. He was right.

"Guys, entertaining the four of you was my pleasure, but if you want to decide among yourselves about another round, it's okay with me. I mean, it was kind of strenuous."

_That_ statement bolted Skipper upright at parade sit, or whatever the term was for a penguin sitting tailor fashion with both flippers cradling a replete tummy. "What, you think we couldn't do this again? You looked mighty pleased with our efforts, missy. I would even say borderline blissed out, especially at Climax _Número Tres_."

"Going all the way with what we planned for weeks, especially when you were a no-show at first? Yeah, Skipper, I'm content with nine hours of good solid action. I don't think I could have stood any more!"

"I'll take that as a compliment, Marlene."

Kowalski stepped in with logic. "Skipper, Marlene footed the bill for the double anchovy pizzas and Szechuan Gutbuster Dinner For Five from Wong's Fragrant Garden on 28th at Ditmars Boulevard. She dove for coins tossed by kiddies into both her pond and the main fountain." He patted his own rounded gut that seemed especially prominent on his tall frame. "Rico provided popcorn in his own inimitable way, we brought the DVDs before we fetched the food, and our _Lord of the Rings _marathon is a success whichever way you look at it."

Private's eyelids drooped even more as he settled from a slump into a recline. "_Return of the King's _three climaxes nearly done me in, Skippa. I'll never criticize _Shirtless Ninja Action Theater _climaxes again because they're clear as Waterford crystal, bing, bang, boom, done and Nigel's your uncle."

"_Ninja Theater _contains even more CGI blood than _Return of the King_," opined Kowalski. "It takes a complex mind to comprehend Tolkien's plot, Private, and yours is - "

"He's asleep, Kowalski. Don't finish that sentence."

_Sometimes _Kowalski could keep his beak shut for the good of the team."I'm so groggy I don't know what I'm saying, sir. Permission to sack out?"

"Why ask me? It's Marlene's habitat." Kowalski noticed that his commander's own slate blue eyelids drifted to half mast and the flippant wave bespoke weariness rather than airiness. It was a foregone conclusion that amid crumpled red striped popcorn bags laden with old maids, pizza crusts here and there that Private disdained, and a dozen empty little white boxes with wire handles that Chinese restaurants doled out, their coterie of one otter and four penguins could find repose.

"Here, have a pillow, 'Ski," Marlene directed as she fluffed one for him. "S'all good, s'all good, everybody comfy?"

Kowalski nodded as he took the pillow, curled up on his preferred left side and reduced the awake team membership by a percentage that he was too drowsy to calculate. The last thing he saw before contemplating the inside of his own eyelids was Marlene stuffing pillows under Private's and Rico's heads, frowning as she held up her last one before shrugging it into place under Skipper's head. Let's see, everybody had lounged on a pillow while watching the nine-hour epic but then Rico spilled Gatorade all over his so Marlene gave him hers so that meant she was one short now five take away one was four but there were five animals crashing in her cave he really ought to refuse the pillow she gave him as a good hostess because he was a tough commando but the 800 thread-count Egyptian cotton pillow slip was so soft ...

"He's out?"

"Oh yeah. Shove over, I'm coming in."

"I'll douse the lamp. _Buenas noches, mi reina."_

_"Buenas noches, mi rey."_

"I'm tickled pink to hear you call me your king and that we share one pillow tonight."

"I'm tickled pink you returned from your dangerous solo mission and we could reschedule our movie night, Skipper."

"_Tenemos un chorro de películas por ver esta vacaciones, deberíamos comenzar, cariña."_

_"Mañana."_

IOIOIOIOIO

The End.

IOIOIOIOIO


End file.
